


Star Wars (Youniverse): The Padawan Years

by Avi



Series: Star Wars (Youniverse)- Reader x Obi-Wan [1]
Category: Pre-Phantom Menace - Fandom, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Grey Jedi, Jedi Code, Moral Dilemmas, Padawan Obi-Wan, Padawan!Reader, Star Wars politics, but trust me, so if you're only looking for some sweet Obi-wan time you'll have to wait a while, there's gonna be a lot of moments with him ;), this story is going to be a real story, with plot and development and growth, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-10-05 01:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17315414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avi/pseuds/Avi
Summary: The longest you've ever spent training under a Master was seven months. After a horrible accident occurs, the infamous Qui-Gon Jinn and his do-gooder, maddeningly annoying Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi come to your rescue. Are they who you've been searching for all your life? Or will they become just another notch in your history of lost Masters?Apart of what will be a large series. This is the first installation of a story that will span throughout the prequel trilogy and very much likely beyond. I meant to start with Phantom Menace, but there was so much history between the characters I had to start from the very beginning. Welcome, and let your saga begin!





	1. Prologue

Ryloth was a beautiful planet, I decided, my hand brushing through the pale leaves of a strange plant I had never seen before, the silver petals curling to meet my curious fingers.

“Be careful, Padawan. Though gentle now, Shenkiis can easily become dangerous if startled.” Master Pinku warned, her red eyes flashing with slight worry.

“You're telling me the _plant_ would be startled, Master?” I asked, a smile of amusement growing on my face. Alien subjects had always always been my favorite, I lackadaisically thought, ignoring my teacher’s warning as I continued to play with the sociable weed. 

“Come, Padawan. We have no time for sightseeing.” Pinku said, half dotingly and half annoyed with me, striding further into the Silver Wood. 

We passed by rivers of rainbow, scaled birds, and even more Shenkii plants, it’s petals reaching out longingly to me as we passed, tempting me to play with it against my Master's better wishes.

“Master, must we be in such a rush?” I queried, watching the beautiful creatures and scenery pass by me in a blur. It would have better to have seen it on the HoloNet!

“Look, I could make up with some excuse about the importance of this mission,” She began, pushing an exceptionally long branch out of her way with a soft grunt, “Which it’s certainly not. If I’m being honest with you, I just... really hate my home planet.” She explained with a slightly awkward smile, her crimson lekku bouncing against her back.

_“But it’s so beautiful here.”_ I thought to myself, taking another glance around the whimsical forest we had found ourselves in.

I didn’t want to pry any further, though. I had only been her apprentice for four months, and she was already the fourth longest I’d ever kept a Master. Thankfully I had stayed away from arguing with her like I had with all my other Masters, and mostly by avoiding topics like these. 

“Ah. Here it is.” She sighed, finally slowing her pace. She gestured toward a black hole in the ground, a draft of wind spiraling out, brushing against my clothes like a gentle caress. 

“Wait, Master. We’re not supposed to go in _there_ , are we?” I asked, the hairs of my skin standing straight on edge at the notion.

“That _is_ what we came here for. It's just a routine check-up. One of those Force-sensitive place, you know?” Pinku shrugged, taking heavy steps as she walked down into the cave.

“I wouldn’t go in there.” I warned without thought, every midichlorian in my body pushing me aggressively away from the pit.

My Master looked at me strangely, glancing between the cave and I. “Are you afraid?”

“No, that’s not it!” I instantly disagreed, the long ingrained idea of being an entirely fearless Jedi invading my thoughts before I could allow myself to think. “Well, I suppose that’s apart of it. But, it’s more like a… bad feeling.”

“Hm.” She grunted, taking a pause. “I know I should scold you for being afraid, but I guess it’d be alright if you stay here. I’ve heard you’ve had premonitions in the past.” She offered. I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to give me an excuse rather than being afraid. Most of my Masters had done it before. Whether out of kindness for me, or for the sake of their own prides, I didn’t need to know.

All I needed was the confirmation that yet another of my Master’s didn't believe in me.

“If you really believe it’s a premonition, then you won’t go in there.” I tried, sharper than I had intended. I knew I had grown tired of the mockery my teachers continuously put me under, never wanting to believe me because they thought me too young. 

The Force was strong within me, I _knew_ it! They just didn’t want to see it, they wanted to hold me back.

“Padawan, I will allow you to stay, but I cannot. I am here on a mission and intend to fulfill it. I am sorry that you feel this way, but I cannot delay any longer.” She scolded, walking further into the pit as darkness consumed her from my vision.

My visions, or sights as some called it, almost always came into fruition, when they felt as powerful as they felt in that moment. A squeezing, choking feeling filled my body, pushing me away the closer I came to the mouth of the pit.

“I won't let it happen.” I whispered to myself determinedly, sliding down the hill after her. A shiver crawled up my shoulders as I too fell deep into the belly of the beast, against every sane thought I'd ever had. "It _will_ happen, I _will_ stop it, and I _will_ be recognized."

This mantra was repeated in my head as I trotted after my Master, fighting against my own body to move further. An inaudible gasp of relief escaped me when her robes finally came into view.

“So, you decided to come.” Pinku smiled, a small droid lifting off her hand as it blanketed the cave with light. The droid let out a proud trill, despite how ineffective it’s torch proved against the thick black.

“Against my better judgment.” I smiled sardonically, glancing around the pit with a guarded expression. Something _would_ come for us.

“Well, I’m glad.” My Master said, so warmly she almost sounded motherly. I paused, glancing back at her. An affection I hadn't felt in a long time bloomed within my chest, and I couldn’t help but to smile back at her. I found myself hoping Pinku would be the one Master I could keep. I shook myself from my stupor, clearing my throat. 

“So, what exactly are we supposed to be checking up on again?” I asked as I dragged my palm across the wet stone of the walls, pushing the moment away from myself as best I could. I attempted to sound bored but my anxieties still rang clear through my voice.

“In the center of this cave is an ancient meditation site from the Jedi of the Old Republic.” Pinku said with deep admiration. “Recently the villagers of this area have said strange “feelings” have been coming from this temple. The Council is curious as to what they mean, so here we are.”

I nodded my head as I listened. The Council was always sending us on the most pointless jobs they could find. Pinku was the daughter of a famous Republic politician, so she had never been sent on any real missions. I didn’t want to ask if it frustrated her.

“It’s probably just some villager’s superstition though. No need to even think twice about it.” She said with a flippant, nonchalant wave of her hand.

We were pretty deep down now, I noticed, any light from the entrance completely swallowed by earth. Then, as if I had crossed a threshold into some unknown world, my body refused to move at my command.

_“And who are you?”_ A voice whispered in my ear, warm and inviting. It was a gentle voice, washing a wave of tranquility over my body as I stood frozen along the path, an unmovable weight placed upon my shoulders.

“This feels… like the Force.” My heart pumped, my eyes closing on their own accord as my mind welcomed it fully into my being. It flowed so easily into my soul I had no doubts I was having a vision with the Force, personified. I'd read about it before in ancient books, but never had I thought it might happen to me. 

“Have you a message?” I asked, cloaked entirely within the Force’s plane. My grasp on reality had been obliterated. If Master Pinku was trying to wake me, I had no way of knowing.

My visions were mostly like feelings provided to me, at most images. But to speak to me like this was almost unimaginable. I had complete trust in the Force though, and so my body and soul became rendered completely to its command.

_“Look at how surrendered you have become for me.”_ The being chuckled amusedly, it’s hand grasping my neck.

I never imagined the Force would feel so possessive as this. It was almost an oppressing weight, not at all the feelings I had gotten from my times in deep meditation. 

“I am Jedi, servant to none but the Force. I am always yours to command.” I conceded, leaning a bit away from the entity behind me. 

“Oh, is that so?” The timber of the disembodied voice dipped lower, crossing its arms around my torso. “What if I said I was apart of the dark side of the Force?”

I gulped, my heart hammering in my chest in a mixture of fear and anticipation, shaking like a leaf beneath its grasp. "Then I would welcome you all the same. I am not so bigoted as the rest of my fellow Jedi. I wish to appreciate the Force in all of its forms."

That little speech had gotten me expelled from more than half of my previous Masters. 

"You speak truthfully?" The voice demanded after a pause, clenching me a bit harder.

"O-Of course, I see myself as a scholar of the Force, capable of seeing all points of views." I laughed, as if nothing was wrong. I wanted desperately to get away from the creature, but I feared what it would do to me if I did. I knew this wasn't the Force though, it couldn't have been.

"You've intrigued me," The creature smiled against my neck, "My little _Jedi_ girl."

A feeling of terrible danger rose inside my belly, and I forced myself to look back on what I had allowed into my mind, and which now clung to me like a parasite.

There before me stood the most sinful creature my eyes had ever laid upon. It grinned at me as a predator would its captured prey, drunken on sadistic pride, its sharp teeth gleaming dangerously close to the arteries of my neck.

With a scream of white terror, a brilliant beam of light escaped my skin, forcing the monster to turn from me. It screeched in pain, shielding it’s face from me.

"You allowed me to enter you! Why do you react this way?!" It asked, stepping slowly back from me. 

“I do not know what sort of demon you are, but you are not one that I would willingly allow within my mind!” I screamed, filled with a survivalist aggression as its form grew clearer to me, amidst the all-seeing blaze of the Light-side.

A Zabrak was the creature who had dared to break into my most sacred place, cowering before me now like a child, afraid and enraged all at once. So many emotions swirled from his mind I felt I was going to drown within him.

“Scum!! Fearer of the dark!” He cursed, wild as an animal. “You will fall on your knees before me!” The Zabrak roared, spit flying from his mouth. As he said this, a pulse of black hatred filled my soul, and for a second, I could no longer distinguish my mind from his. Intense, uncontrollable feelings of rage, pain, passion, and quiet sorrow overwhelmed me, shaking me past my limits of control as tears began to streak down my face.

"What pain you have felt." I sobbed, clenching my arms to myself.

"What doubts you have felt!" The monster I know knew as Maul laughed in my face, before his mood turned frightening with the flip of a switch.

“You will see the epitome of your precious people when they desert you.” He growled out, grabbing me by the neck as he struck my face, disappearing into a pillar of smoke as he tossed my body away as though I were a porcelain doll.

I cried out in pain, earth and stone tangible once more as I skidded across the ground, rocks slicing my skin open as my mind spiraled into one, uncontrollable feeling of lunatic adrenaline, pounding against my head.

A roaring pain rang through me as sensations of fire and whips slashed its course through me, but left no marks on my body. Was I _remembering_ this? Was I remembering something which had not happened to me? But... to the Zabrak?

I began to scream, tearing my throat apart, crying for my Master to save me, the person I had been told would always save me since I was a youngling. Who I could rely on.

“Master Pinku! Please, I need you!” I sobbed, tears of agony wetting my face. _“Please!”_

If I had been at the control of a torturers knife I would have given my tormentor anything that they wished for. Yet no questions were asked, and I was left alone in my suffering.

Branded into the forefront of my brain, the Zabrak’s malicious grin appeared before me again. The black tattoos which streaked down his scarlet flesh like trails of blood filled me with a maddening rush of complete helplessness, and my heart almost dead in my chest from an overload of sensations.

**"Please, I cannot take it!"** I finally bawled like a babe, before succumbing to the darkness which called me by my name.

~x~

“Please try to not upset them, Master.” Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head chastisingly as his boots clacked against the temple floors. 

“I only argue with the Council when I need to.” Qui-Gon smiled mischievously, the clocks in his head already turning. The light of the sun blanketed his face, causing his eyes to twinkle as he looked at Obi-Wan. A twinkle Obi-Wan did not trust.

“Which is only all the time.” The Padawan cut his eyes in retort.

“You’re a quick learner.” His Master chuckled, before shoving the doors of the Council chamber open, unabashedly letting them slam against the marble walls.

Obi-Wan couldn’t stop himself from cringing at the loud, echoing sounds of wood against stone which interrupted the many Masters at work.

“Master Qui-Gon. You’re earlier than expected.” Mace Windu drawled, as if he had expected it.

“Hardly. My Padawan is always sure we arrive in at least a...slightly timely manner.” Qui-Gon grinned, semi-cheekily as half the Council laughed and the other half grumbled.

“Something to report, do you?” Master Yoda asked, a stifled smile splitting his cracked face, as if it had been carefully etched into stone.

“Nothing worth mentioning. Sending us on pointless missions doesn’t actually help anyone.” Qui-Gon answered kindly, his tone unchanging compared to the venomous words he spoke. “Oh, except for the Republic.” 

Obi-Wan couldn’t hold back an exasperated sigh, touching his hand to his forehead embarrasedly.

“Let us remind you, Master Jinn, that there is nowhere else the Jedi are needed at this time.” Mace Windu plastered his hands beneath his chin, steely eyes staring down Qui-Gon’s in challenge. “When better to commence our searches?”

Somewhat controversially within the Jedi Temple, the Council had been sent orders to discover new land, resources, and even people for the Republic to claim. Some agreed with the Council’s decision, as the bigger the Republic grew the more jurisdiction the Jedi would hold to help people. On the other hand, many resisted the idea of becoming “colonizers” for the Senate.

“Nowhere the Jedi are needed?” Qui-Gon asked disbelievingly, a deep furrow to his brow. “How about anywhere outside of the Republic’s control?”

An angry, disgruntled murmur rose in the chamber, a confusing mass of emotions swirling wildly among the Force-users.

“Each day that passes the Jedi come closer to nothing more than the Republic’s tool. Slavers run wild on the Outer Rim, and no one finds it worth mentioning.” The sabled Jedi Master spoke with a fiery determination much younger than his years, his liberal ideas always a pressing matter for the more traditional Jedi present on the Council.

“If the Republic does not wish you to do it, you will not. The Jedi were once protectors of the entire galaxy, but now our names are sanctimonious with the Republic’s! Can you all not see where we are heading?” Qui-Gon implored his fellow Masters, eyes pleading with them to hear his words. 

Master Yaddle was first to find her voice, her long green ears hanging low amongst such strong feelings of emotion. “With you, peace be, Master Jinn. Too long you have allowed these thoughts to fester, I feel.”

“Agree, I do.” Yoda added, nodding his head sagely. “Nothing stopping you, there is.”

“The entirety of the Jedi Order would be required to help if we truly wished to end the slave trade, not myself alone. My thoughts cannot allow this matter to rest, Master Yaddle, because I am not finished with it yet. I don’t care how many times you call me in here, to waste my time and you’re own, but don’t expect me not to criticize you and your complete surrendering to the Senate.” Qui-Gon finished, dangerously close to angrily, raking his eyes across the room, searching for a challenger. Most of the Jedi seemed to wilt under his intensity, their teachings shirking them from any such powerful emotions as he displayed now.

“I think Master Jinn-“ Depa Billaba began, a calm, tentativity to her voice, before the doors of the Council Chamber were thrown open, slamming against the walls once more.

“Master Yoda! Master Windu! A Jedi Master has been killed! Killed by her own Padawan!”

A gasp and an uproar of emotions instantly ripped through the chamber like an earthquake. Both strange and familiar sounds of fear echoed from the variety of races present. Crying out and arguing amongst themselves, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel as if he was in the presence of a trans-galactic zoo, and not Jedi Masters. Even Qui-Gon had clasped his hand onto his shoulder, giving it a tight, reaffirming squeeze. Whether to comfort himself, or his Padawan, Obi-Wan had no guess, but he knew he appreciated it's weight.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“Who could have-?!”

“Where is this Padawan now?!”

The outcries of terror swallowed and drowned all else, a scrambling panic overtaking the atmosphere. Aggression towards the unknown Padawan began to swirl through the Force and into some of the Masters, the raw emotions of the Jedi present corrupting the air around them. 

"We must kill them while we still have the chance!" Master Rancisis screeched, loud enough to interrupt the nonsensical chatter which had possessed the room. Having everyone's attention, the Master took a moment to preen his quickly-inflating pride, nodding his head as if he knew all, and those which surrounded him were nothing but children. "Why risk allowing a _you-know-what_ to come into existence? We should kill the little creature before it is allowed to gain any more power."

A soft murmur of agreement rumbled through the chamber, the snake-like man dragging his talons vainly through his tangled, snowy beard, his eyes gleaming with their approval. 

Obi-Wan's cobalt eyes studied the people he trusted most in the world with deep shock. Master Yoda and Mace Windu seemed to be unable to speak, their faces contorted into pain. Qui-Gon locked eyes with Depa Billaba, silently talking to each other. Stirring his features into a face of pure defiance, Obi-Wan boldy asked the chamber of Masters, "Can you not hear yourselves?"

Master Rancisis curled back as if he had been bitten, flickering his yellow eyes between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's nervously as he sharpened his tongue. "Watch your mouth, Padawan learner."

"I apologize Master, but the actions of the council cannot be being spoken with any form of clear-mindedness." The young Padawan determined with furrowed brows, a guarded look of anxiety pooling within his eyes. "I know nobody here would sanely declare the execution of an unarmed prisoner, much less one of our own Padawans."

Qui-Gon's smile couldn't have been bigger. In one fell swoop his Padawan had defused the situation, calming both the Masters and Force's attitudes, all the while remaining respectful and in line, something Qui-Gon had yet to master himself.

“Age matters not, for the depth of one's wisdom.” Yoda finally croaked, light dancing in his eyes as he praised his previous Padawan, a fondness swelling in his chest. "Let this be something for you to meditate on, young Masters." 

Master Windu seemed ready to rebuke every person there one by one, if he'd had the chance. “Master Yoda and I will handle the matter for now. This meeting and the decision on the Padawan's fate will be postponed until further notice. We ask that you return to your business, and speak of this to no one.” 

Most of the Council members slunk away, embarrassment and shame clinging to them like a bad smell. _Something must have taken over them to act in such a way_ , they excused their actions to themselves, limping morosely away to lick at their wounded prides.

"Master Yoda, are you alright?" Mace asked, a slight note of concern in his voice. "I have never felt emotions as strong and terrible as those, I struggled to breathe against that...dark force."

Yoda breathed a long, and aching sigh, his ears hanging limp off the sides of his face. "Trouble, I feel this spells."

Across the room, almost pacing, Obi-Wan's hand found itself on his chest, rubbing back and forth as he began to center himself onto the beating of his heart. He could barely believe he had spoken against a Master during a Council meeting. His breath still hadn't evened itself out. To be complimented by Yoda as well for it, felt as if he were dreaming. He smiled sheepishly to himself, turning back towards his Master, wishing for praise, only to find him kneeling on the ground before the Grand Master.

“Master Yoda, if you please,” Qui-Gon bowed his head, his face hidden from Obi-Wan's view. “I must discuss this matter further with you.”

“Must, do you?” He chuckled tiredly in his impish-way, before nodding his head in silent consent.

“What was the Padawan’s name?” 

Yoda seemed to have been bracing himself for the question, sadness penetrating his eyes as he glanced toward his friend. Mace's face had grown stern as stone. 

Obi-Wan found himself completely lost by his Master's question, a feeling of uncertainty churning in his stomach. 

_“Why would Qui-Gon care about this Padawan’s name?”_ Obi-Wan thought anxiously, pulling at his cloak. _“But most importantly, why are Master Yoda and Windu reacting this way?”_

Mace Windu stood then, almost defiantly, still as a statue as he stared down onto Qui-Gon's bent form, a warning bite to his tone. “Her name is (Y/N) (L/N). She was Padawan to the late Pinku Jennten.” 

A moment of silence passed, Obi-Wan unable to tear his eyes away from his Master's quivering form, a tension building between those present.

"Damn!' Qui-Gon suddenly shouted, raising his fist and slamming it into the Temple's stone floors, uncaring of the way Obi-Wan jumped back, or Mace's demand to calm himself. 

"How could this have happened?" His fiery jade eyes bore into Yoda's. " _Tell me how!_ "

-End of prologue-


	2. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no excuse for why it took me half a year to publish a second chapter. I have the whole story planned out already but somehow I just can't write it down. I want it to be so perfect that I can't even get it out. I am going to try to get these chapters out faster. I really am sorry if you were looking forward to this story.

The silence in the air was thick enough to choke on, the wide, curving walls of the Council Chamber amplifying the sudden emptiness of the room.

Obi-Wan shifted nervously, his boots squeaking against the marble floors. No one spoke, Qui-Gon’s heaving breath the only answer to his question.

“Master Jinn.” Mace Windu finally began, slowly taking his seat. “The Council understands your connection to this case, and thus wishes you to stay out of it.”

Qui-Gon’s fist clenched, his knuckles paling.

“You cannot expect me to follow.” Qui-Gon bit out with a finalization to his tone, speaking barely louder than a whisper.

“Master?” Obi-Wan murmured, overwhelmed with concern as he attempted to move to his Master’s side, before being pitifully waved off without so much as a glance.

Mace moved to reprimand Qui-Gon for his erratic behavior, but Yoda paused his actions with a single, shaky finger. Windu begrudgingly reclined back into his seat as Yoda began to speak.

“Responsible for her, do you feel you are?” He grumbled, “Worried for her, are you?”

Qui-Gon’s brows furrowed, and he glanced furtively away, almost embarrassedly.

After a moment of silent study, Yoda sighed, and relented into him. “Allow you to see her, I will.”

“Master Yoda I must object.” Windu instantly interrupted, a fire in his eyes as he stood against his Master. Yoda simply smiled at him, and he found he could do nothing but glower back.

Qui-Gon’s face brightened as quickly as it had darkened, and finally looking up into Yoda’s face with a small smile, he murmured, “Thank you for understanding, Master.”

Before anyone could change their mind he stormed from the chamber, grabbing his Padawan by the elbow, his cloak whipping behind him.

“Obi-Wan, I need you to find out exactly what (Y/N) and her Master were doing when this happened. Ask around, any information at all will be helpful.” Qui-Gon’s words spilled out of his mouth quicker than his breath, before he gave Obi-Wan a slight shove to get a move on.

“Master, _hold on!_ ” He called after a moment of confused indecisiveness. “You need to explain this to me, I have absolutely no idea as to what this is all about!”

Qui-Gon gave a huff of impatience, turning to his Padawan and crossing his arms as if inconvenienced. “What do you need to know?”

“Well, how about first off explaining to me why we’re having this discussion about Padawan (Y/N) at all?” He said exasperatedly, gesturing wildly with his hands as his voice grew in volume.

“Peace, Obi-Wan. I will explain all in due time, there is no need to worry.” He smiled warmly, though there was a tenseness to his shoulders. “Please just do as I’ve asked for now.”

Obi-Wan glanced into his eyes, trying to remain cross with him but failing miserably. Qui-Gon had embarrassed him, harassed his role models, and stuck his nose where it didn’t belong, but what else could he have expected of Qui-Gon? 

“Yes...Master.” He sighed after a moment, dropping his head.

“Thank you, Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon’s eyes alighted tiredly, patting Obi-Wan’s shoulder as he resumed his quick pace past him. “And please, trust me Obi-Wan.”

The Padawan stood stunned for a moment, watching the muscles of his Master’s back twist and tense as his feet carried him away, faster than the wind.

“Of course, Master.” Obi-Wan smiled tiredly back after a moment, before dropping his shoulders with a deep sigh. Qui-Gon’s bootsteps has already faded, but he could still feel his anxiety in the air.

Before Obi-Wan could dwell too deeply on his Master’s actions he set his eyebrows together, clenching his fists.

If he could help his Master, he would. Even if he did end up making a complete fool of himself.

~x~

Silence. Peace. Serenity.

These were the feelings I had been taught all my life to embrace. To allow myself to be drowned within without question. Now my body screamed for me to escape their suffocating net.

I awoke, gasping in lungs full of air as if I hadn’t used them in days, swallowing my surroundings with a wild surge of panic.

“Master?” I whispered, rotating my head around the room I had found myself in. I had no memory of coming here, a blank canvas in my mind from the moment I had passed out in the cave.

“M-Master?” I whispered again, my lip trembling as my eyes welled with tears. The room was dark and frightening, with nothing but a bed to amuse myself with. My Jedi robes had been swapped for a pair of sweats, a barcode printed onto the chest. I couldn’t imagine what had happened to me, or Master Pinku.

I shuddered, wrapping myself up in the thin cotton sheets. I had to relax, to find out exactly where I was and who was with me.

My eyes slid to a close, drowning out the rest of the world out as the Force flowed through me.

Inhale. 

The lights flicker off, the scratchy sheets falling from my shoulders as I disappear into an empty void.

Exhale.

Trickling, like the wax of a heated candle, the world becomes visible to me again, the walls, the bed, the door, the halls beyond the door, the people beyond the halls, and everything in between. All breathing at once, all connected within the boundaries of the Force.

As my mind stabilized, the people around me began to glow in a brilliant, blue light, shining clearer than the faint world around them.

The only people who shined like that were Force-users. Where could I possibly be then, besides the Jedi Temple?

I took another feel about me, in my cramped, dark room, and knew I couldn’t have been there. They would have placed me somewhere warm and safe, nothing like this room. 

But still, I was being imprisoned by Force-users. If they weren’t Jedi, there was only one answer I could turn to.

Sith, a whisper flickered unwantedly within my mind. 

With one word all my concentration was lost, slamming me back into reality, back to the cotton sheets and metal walls.

I grabbed at my chest, trying to calm my breathing. That idea, that word, was evil, and never to be spoken. Creatures like those were nothing but stories, fairy tales to scare children.

The walls were closing in around me, swallowing me within their gray mouths, red eyes staring at me from the shadows.

“Help me, somebody help me!” I suddenly screamed out, my mouth moving on its own accord, my arms and hands flailing wildly as I scraped my nails against the steel walls. 

“Let me in, _now_!” I heard a voice shout from outside my room, booming and steady as steel. “I am here on the authority of Master Yoda!”

I felt a flood of relief at the name, calming my adrenaline filled senses. There was a Jedi here, or at least a friend of the Jedi. I let that thought relax me as my skin continued to shiver and shake.

The whisper from before receded into the shadows of my mind, leaving me with the same, quiet word, as quickly as it had come before.

_Sith._

I shook my head, rubbing the tears out of my eyes as the prison door slid open with a loud hiss. 

“I-I’m sorry-“

“Are you alright?” The once loud voice interrupted, now gentle and sweet as it’s tall master rushed towards me, almost ethereal compared to the musky cell around him.

He was human, like me, his big brown eyes warm and full of kind worry, his giant hands enveloping my own as he kneeled before me. “I heard your screams.”

I snapped out of my stupor, patting his hand somewhat awkwardly. “Y-Yes, yes I’m sorry for that. I thought I had been kidnapped by… by... well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

I turned from him, struggling to lie to his perceptive glance. His hand was so comforting and human around mine, calming me with nothing but his presence. Something about this man had put me at great ease almost effortlessly.

“You’re safe. You’re in the Jedi Temple.” He assured, squeezing my hand, though there was something guarded behind his expression. “I’m here to help you.”

“I’ve never been in this part of the Temple before.” I admitted with a small laugh, taking in my dark surroundings once more, sniffling slightly. “I take it that’s not a good thing?”

“I’m afraid not.” The man answered with a small laugh of his own, the kind of laugh meant to conceal. 

A silence split between us, my eyes staring into his as he stared back, deep concern highlighting his features. 

“What happened to my Master?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper as the man glanced everywhere but my eyes. “Where’s Pinku?”

“She’s…” He broke off mid-sentence, hanging his head guiltily. His eyes slowly looked up into mine, grief-stricken. “She’s dead.”

I wasn’t sure how to react. Once the words fell from the strangers mouth, tossed as precariously as empty pages in the wind, my world went on pause, my mind checking out. 

A strange feeling beat through my veins, a complete and utter emptiness filling my chest. The kind of peace I would imagine death would bring.

“(Y/N), look at me.” The man interrupted my silence, placing a hand against my cheek. “This wasn’t your fault.”

“So that’s why I’m here, then?” I asked, laughing cruelly to his face. “You all think I did it.”

He shook his head vehemently, desperately grasping at my hand as I attempted to pull away. “You’ve been charged yes, but not everyone is on their side!”

“Their side? Am I no longer on the Jedi’s side? The Jedi have turned against me in my time of need, instead of for me.” I gave a twisted, disbelieving smile, successfully ripping myself away from him, pacing my cell, as I now realized it was. 

_The Sith was right._

The thought shook me to my core, my hand ripping through my hair as the other gripped my hip, white-knuckled. I laughed, a breathy and painful laugh as tears flooded my eyes.

“Please, you must trust me-“

“Trust you?! Trust-I don’t even know your name!” I spat at him, slapping away the hand he offered me. “How dare you ask me such a thing after my own people, or should I say _you’re_ people, are now biting at the bit to get at me.” 

His hands fell roughly against my shoulders, pulling me towards him, his eyes aflame with conviction. “Which is why I ask that you trust me now! If you will not accept my help then you must face this alone.”

I flinched at his tone, waking from my hysteria ever so slightly, floods of emotion still churning within my body. I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my face as I did, breathing a bit deeper.

“I don’t think I can take another minute in this cell alone, much less my trial.” I shakily whispered, delving back into his steadfast eyes. “And everything that comes after.”

It was my way of asking him not to leave. I didn’t know who he was, or what he wanted from me, but I did know that he couldn’t leave me here.

“And you won’t. Not while I’m here.” He smiled, the same warm smile from before, and released me. His cloak scraped across the floor as he stepped away from me, allowing me what little space he could within the cramped prison.

“Qui-Gon Jinn, at your service.”

~x~

“Why do want to talk about _her_ , Obi?” The Padawan whined childishly, laying her hand across his arm. “Don’t we have better things to talk about?”

“I’m afraid not, darling.” Obi-Wan answered with his most dashing smile. “It’s somewhat of an emergency.”

“Oh, I get it.” She giggled, flipping her hair around her shoulder. “Somebody’s finally punishing that little Sith-lover of ours, huh?”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows rose at her words, gears shifting behind his eyes as more Jedi apprentices joined their conversation, interrupting his sudden intake of breath.

“What’s with the serious face, Obi-Wan? It’s lunch time!” One of younger apprentices laughed, presenting her cafeteria food like a trophy.

“He asked me if I knew anything about (Y/N) (L/N).” The woman he had been talking with smiled, tapping her nails waspishly against the lunch table. “Do we know anything about her, girls?”

The party of three gasped at the name, smiles wide and brimming full of secrets. “We know a whole lot about her, Obi.”

Obi-Wan hadn’t expected much from his impromptu investigation. Asking around the Temple about a single Padawan didn’t usually garner much information past species, but it seemed when it came to Qui-Gon’s newest pet the whole Temple knew everything he could possibly want to know.

“One time, in the middle of class, she started arguing with _Mace Windu_ about whether or not the dark side of the Force should be taboo. She got two weeks detention.”

“She practices spells when no one’s looking.”

“She’s had every single one of her Master’s abandon her.”

“Killed the last one…”

“I heard that she sleeps around.”

“The first boy she kissed died.”

On and on the rumors went, growing wilder and more scandalous by the minute. He hadn’t spent much time with his underclassmen before, but he hadn’t really thought there was such thing as gossip in the Temple. 

“Thank you ladies, you’ve been a tremendous help.” He thanked them, bowing genteelly, before hurrying for the prisoner’s ward. If he knew his Master at all then he knew he had already gotten himself in some kind of serious trouble.

“He’s so cute.” The girls giggled, teasing one another and gushing about his handsome features. 

_He was so perfect._

~x~

He was so… _perfect._

Qui-Gon and I had been speaking for not over twenty minutes before my cell doors slid open again, and a man I could describe no less than a prince gliding into my room like he was royalty.

Each auburn hair in perfect place, clothes lint-free and straightened. I would have thought he was a Jedi Master if it wasn’t for his telling Padawan braid.

But what I noticed the most were his eyes. Cool and blue, watching me like a hawk’s as he paced towards Qui-Gon, fire dancing within his irises as if he would lash out at any moment.

I didn’t think I disliked anyone as quickly as I did him, his entire, perfect persona leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

“Master, I must speak with you.” He murmured a bit under his breath, bowing curtly in greeting to me, barely gracing me with his acknowledgement.

“Later, Obi-Wan. Padawan (Y/N) is relating to me what occurred on Ryloth.” Qui-Gon waved him to sit down, a small smile growing on his face as a frown grew on his Padawan’s.

“Master, I think you should hear what I’ve discovered first.” The “prince” pleaded with his Master, imploring him to listen.

“Alright, Obi-Wan if you feel it’s so urgent.” He chuckled a low, grumbling laugh, glancing my way. I gave him back a very small smile.

The Padawan stood still for a moment, glancing around the room as if he was waiting for something to change. I suppose none came, for he finally spoke again, practically whispering. “I cannot say it here.”

“Then it can wait for later then, hm?” Qui-Gon asked, not unkindly, a friendly amusement flickering in his eyes. I’d never seen such a strange Master-Apprentice relationship before. It wouldn’t actually be a stretch to call them friends.

He glowered at his Master, hands twitching irritatedly, before he slid into his seat, shaking his head chastisingly. 

“Go on, (Y/N).” Qui-Gon gave me the go ahead, anticipation rippling between his brow. 

I hadn’t spoken yet, not since this Obi-Wan had appeared, my stomach tightening and twisting at the thought of telling him about my final moments with Pinku. I could see even now he was judging me, just like so many of the other Padawans. He was just like them.

“I’m not sure I want to anymore.” I admitted, hugging my legs to my chest. “I want to hear what your Padawan has to say.”

A flash of annoyance danced across Obi-Wan’s face, his hand smoothing the emotions away like crinkles on a sheet, returning to his flawless image.

“I don’t think I can say in front of you.” He retorted, a bite to his tone.

“Well then I don’t think _I_ can say in front of you, then.” I smiled bitterly, bristling under his intense gaze. “I know from that look in your eyes you’ve already heard enough about me, anyway.”

His brows rose surprisedly, his back straightening. “My Master did ask me to investigate you, yes.” 

“And I’m sure every Padawan in the Temple was all too happy to tell you about me.” I spat, sneering at his appalled face. “I suppose you’re ready to sing my praises?”

He looked very much the bird whose feathers had been ruffled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as his Master gave him a questioning stare.

“Care to explain for me, my young Padawan?” He asked with some caution, sensing the heightening tension between Obi-Wan and I.

He looked around awkwardly once more, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, before he laid his determined gaze upon me, eyes steeled with cold determination. “They all swear she’s a Sith.”

If Qui-Gon was surprised he didn’t show it, his shoulder sinking as he hunched over in troubling thought. 

“And there it is.” I shook my head with barely restrained anger, turning away from these strangers in my cell. “I don’t think I want your help anymore, actually.”

“(Y/N), please, he is only telling what others have told him.” Qui-Gon tried, caught in the whirlwind of emotions between the two of us.

“You look at me the same way they all do! All my life people have suspected me, watched me. They jump at every flick of my finger, every twitch of my brow, as if I mean to fly into a wild rage at any moment.” I shook my head, clenching my teeth almost violently. “I’ve spent enough time in this Temple to know when people are afraid of me.”

Obi-Wan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this kind of reaction, or for this stranger to be able to read him like a book. For so long he had prided himself on his ability to disguise his every emotion, for this girl to sense his every thought and rip him out into the open...He couldn’t have mistrusted her more.

“Obi-Wan, perhaps it is best if you excuse us.” Qui-Gon muttered after a moment of silence, turning his face from the prisoner to look at his Padawan. 

Obi-Wan stared for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fist unassuredly, not knowing if he should leave his Master with this...Padawan.

“It’s fine, Master Jinn. It’s not as if he can do any real harm.” I sighed, releasing my legs as I sat up in my bed, hoping I appeared more in control than I felt. I didn’t miss the way Obi-Wan’s mouth ticked, slightly shaking his head from the angry words he wished to share.

“We were on Ryloth. Our mission was to simply check up on a well-known Force center in the area, but I immediately knew something was wrong. My premonitions showed me.” I shuddered at the memory. “And no, I didn’t gain that power from some sort of dark sorcery.”

Obi-Wan bristled, physically stifling his words under my hard gaze. 

“When we entered, the feeling only grew worse. It was oppressive, possessive even.” I glanced at Qui-Gon, his brows furrowed in deep concentration. “I...I allowed the strange Force to enter my mind.”

The Padawan could not hold his tongue, letting out a scoff, a slight mock to his tone. “You mean to possess you? Even after you’d had this premonition?” 

“Yes. I thought the Force was calling to me.” My shoulders dropped, my eyes hidden beneath my lashes. “I never meant…I never thought-“

“Peace. I believe you.” Qui-Gon’s eyes were as warm and deep as when he first met me. Obi-Wan didn’t fail to notice his omittance of “we”. 

“I can’t really remember much of what happened after that. I remember a man, not the Force, entering my mind. He caused me great pain.” I tapped the side of my head to show them what I meant. “But he was dark, and evil. For a moment, I think I became one with him. I’ve never experienced such hate…or such pain.”

Obi-Wan finally looked at me as if I weren’t trying to kill him, a deep fear bubbling into his features. “A man of darkness? Of hate?”

I gave the slightest nod I could, fear dancing behind my own eyes as the Padawan shuddered into himself, glancing at his Master as if he were a frightened child.

I turned to Qui-Gon as well, and a stab of terror ripped into my gut. His elbows were bent at his knees, his hands buried deeply into his hair as a slight tremor invaded his body.

“Sith.” He whispered.

I bit down on my finger at the word, now visibly shaking. My worst fears, spoken aloud by this stoic Jedi, his Padawan quivering beside him, was enough to make me choke.

“N-No. No, you shouldn’t say such things.” I shakily reprimanded him, pressing my back into the corner of my cell. He was broken and weary, and I could not stomach his pain as well as my own.

Obi-Wan did not fail to notice my overwhelming fear of the word, as it’s powers tore horribly through all of us. It was as if a steel thread had wrapped itself around our necks and threatened to strangle us all.

“And now I can’t _stop_ seeing him.” I whispered, still chewing on the tip of my thumb, anxiety pulsing through my veins as I struggled to swallow my tears. 

“How do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I can feel him there. He’s here, right beside me, even though I know he’s not!” I hid my face against my chest, soft sobs escaping my lungs as the two strangers watched me fearfully, as Jedi always have and always will.

“There can be only one explanation.” The Master murmured, granting me a graven stare. “But I do not yet know the consequences of such a bond.”

“A _bond_?” I hiccuped, gripping the back of my neck as a cold breath caressed my skin. 

“Master, you cannot mean…” His eyes were clear as ice, empty and guarded, as he glanced between us.

“Padawan (L/N) has been Force-bonded to a Sith.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the set up of the story, so if you're bored, please wait to see what will happen next. Don't worry you'll meet Obi soon. ;)
> 
> (It's gonna be awesome)
> 
> Leave kudos and comments about what you think so far!


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